Vehicles with electric drive are for example purely electric vehicles, which have only an electric drive, or hybrid vehicles, which have a further drive in addition to an electric drive. In particular, this also includes vehicles which are equipped with a so-called “range extender”. In the case of vehicles of said type, batteries are used for storing electrical energy. The batteries can warm up when current is drawn and during charging. Elevated temperatures however have an adverse effect on the performance of the batteries. Accordingly, battery cooling devices are required in order to dissipate the heat that is generated at the batteries during the operation of the vehicle, for example in order to lengthen the service life of the batteries. If multiple batteries are used in a vehicle, it is also important that the batteries can as far as possible be operated at the same temperature level.
US 2011/0206967 A1 has disclosed a vehicle with electric drive and with a battery cooling device, wherein the battery cooling device is equipped with a refrigeration circuit. The refrigeration circuit comprises, in a closed refrigerant path, a compressor for compressing a refrigerant which circulates in the refrigerant path. Downstream of the compressor there is arranged a condenser for the liquefaction of the compressed refrigerant. Downstream of the condenser there is provided an expansion device for expanding the liquefied refrigerant, with the refrigerant correspondingly cooling down at the same time. Furthermore, in the refrigerant path downstream of the expansion device, there are arranged cooling elements which are coupled in heat-transmitting fashion to batteries. The cooling elements serve, in the refrigeration circuit, as evaporators which evaporate the refrigerant.
DE 10 2012 005 871 A1 has disclosed a plate-shaped cooling element in which there are provided multiple cooling ducts which can be flowed through in parallel by a coolant.
EP 2 305 496 B1 has disclosed a further battery cooling device in which use is likewise made of a plate-shaped cooling element.